MONTEVALLO, Alabama - The group that is seeking a new
restaurant for a vacant building in downtown Montevallo is going to reconsider
plans for the space including the timetables set in the process and other uses
for the structure.

Montevallo Development Cooperative District member Dee
Woodham, who is also a Montevallo City Council member, in an e-mail said the
group was "disappointed in the response" to its request for proposals
concerning the downtown space.

"We will be re-evaluating our options at our next
meeting," Woodham said.

The cooperative group consisting of Shelby County
government, the University of Montevallo and the City of Montevallo is
searching for a restaurant to fill the vacant Alabama Coach Station building at
the corner of Main and North Boundary streets.

The group met Wednesday at the Montevallo City Council
chambers to discuss the restaurant's request for proposal that went out Nov. 5.
The deadline for interested parties to submit their interest to the group was
Nov. 21.

Woodham said the group was "pleased to learn from the
feedback we received from the RFP process."

"In hindsight, we were so excited about generating activity on the
soon-to-be-complete promenade that we probably rushed the process. We set
deadlines right at Thanksgiving and are entering the holiday season--both
historically busy times for the restaurant business," she said.

"We even had a business owner expressed reluctance to
commit to a new venture with the uncertainty of the federal government's
handling of the fiscal cliff and the impact on the overall economy," she added.

The group is open to considering other plans for the
building such as a studio or classroom space for the University of Montevallo,
she said.

"We will discuss our next steps soon and decide how best
to proceed. We will continue to entertain offers of interest as we re-evaluate
our timeline and strategy moving forward," Woodham said.

Development of the vacant building is part of other plans
for Montevallo's downtown area that include a $2.85 million renovation of the
roadway and other infrastructure, in addition to the university opening a
bookstore and new classroom space nearby.

The former Alabama Coach Company building would be part
of the new promenade streetscape project connecting the university campus to
Orr Park through the city's downtown area.